Central hockey squad skates to second at states

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s ice hockey team, the Bulldogs, finished second in the state championships in Buffalo last week.

The Bulldogs, a team that comprises students from Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham high schools, qualified for the state championships after ending the season 18-2, outscoring their opponents 172-45. Although they lost in the county finals to Massapequa, they were still one of eight teams to qualify for the state championship.

At states, which took place in Buffalo, the Bulldogs made it to the final game against St. Francis High School, of Athol Springs, N.Y., but dropped the hard-fought matchup 4-3.

"We were disappointed by the result, but it quickly came to mind that we have a lot to be proud of,” said Bulldogs head coach Chris Patten.

From March 3 to 6, the team played five games, winning three and tying one before losing in the finals.

"You want to talk about a team that fought, the boys did it,” said Patten. “They did the whole school district and themselves proud."

The squad left Mepham High School by bus on March 3 at 3:30 p.m., with their parents, teachers and fellow students on hand. They played their first game Friday afternoon against Canisius, winning 2-1.

The team played twice on Saturday, tying Lancaster 4-4 in the morning, and then defeating Hutch Tech 7-2 at night.

Those three games sent the team into the “Frozen Four,” and on Sunday morning the Bulldogs defeated St. Joseph’s in an overtime thriller 2-1, propelling them into the championship game.

The Bulldogs trailed in the game 1-0, but scored late in the third period to tie it, and then senior Andrew Connell scored the game-winner in overtime to win it.

"That was just absolutely amazing,” said Patten.

On Sunday night, the team played the final game against St. Francis, falling short by one goal. The squad, along with Patten and assistant coaches Mike Hagens and Lee Mattes, then had a quick dinner at the rink, and left that night, arriving at Mepham at 5:30 a.m. on Monday.

"I can't say enough about the weekend and the experience,” said Patten. “We were happy that we picked up an extra passenger, which was the second-place trophy."

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